


I Had To

by Ghostinthehouse



Series: Demon and Angel Professors [98]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostinthehouse/pseuds/Ghostinthehouse
Summary: Aziraphale watched the girl beside him out of the corner of his eye, as the weary look faded into something a shade closer to peace.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Demon and Angel Professors [98]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412962
Comments: 24
Kudos: 878
Collections: Aspec-friendly Good Omens





	I Had To

The confrontation seemed to have worked. Afterwards, Lucille hadn't _entirely_ fallen apart before she escaped to a tucked-away bench near the pond, only mostly. Now, even that ragged remnant of calm seemed to have failed her, and she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, hood pulled low over her face.

Someone cleared their throat, and Lucille risked looking up.

Dr Fell, the real one, pointed to the other end of the bench and asked, "May I?"

She nodded and ducked her head back down, too drained to even consider refusing. He settled onto the bench wordlessly, and watched the ducks with perfect poise.

"Thank you, dear."

She said after a long moment, "No Dr Crowley?"

He wiggled where he sat. His pale clothes shifted with his movement like a cloud drifting in front of the sun, softening his whole look. "Oh, he's teaching. And you looked as if you could use some company."

"I guess." Lucille swallowed, not wanting to venture into the whole rumour thing with one of the people who was being rumoured about. "I just - stuff just caught up with me I guess. I had to, to do a thing before I talked myself out it. I _had_ to. You can't just- If you let someone get away with forcing nastiness on people, they don't stop, they just get worse, and then in the end when it gets so much you can't ignore it, it's so bad that it erupts and hurts everyone. So you have to cut it off at the start, before it can grow." She clamped her mouth shut before any other confessions spilled out and dared a glance at him, glad he was on her unscarred side. He was staring into the distance with an uncannily blank look on his usually mobile face. Lucille swallowed hard. She knew she probably hadn't been making much sense, but she didn't think it was quite that bad. "Dr Fell? You ok?"

He twitched, startled. "Oh! Yes! Quite! Absolutely tickety boo."

Lucille rolled her eyes, beyond calling him out on the obvious lie.

Expressions flickered across his face too fast for her to follow, until it settled in rueful self-amusement. "I'm sorry, my dear. I was woolgathering. I used to have to, ah, - work under - someone very like the one you were talking about, and getting out... Well, it felt like the world was ending at the time, but we're all still here, and that's what matters really."

Lucille just nodded, and they both went back to watching the ducks in companionable silence.

* * *

Aziraphale watched the girl beside him, out of the corner of his eye, as the weary look faded into something a shade closer to peace. He didn't think she realised that he'd overheard most of the lecture she'd given Paul, and he didn't want to scare her again by telling her how proud he was. Or how ashamed it had made him for himself, that it took a student's words to make him see clearly what had to be done, if he could just screw his courage to the sticking place long enough.

Gabriel had to be stopped. If he got away with this kind of distanced viciousness, which he could pass off as allowed because he was physically staying away from them, where would it stop? Somehow, some way, Aziraphale knew he had to find the strength to make it so, but every time he thought he was getting close, it slipped through his fingers like a bar of wet soap forcing him to lunge after it until he could corner it and gather it up again.

Perhaps a letter would work. It was the least terrifying option, the best chance of succeeding without Gabriel reopening old emotional wounds. He looked up and smiled as Lucille got to her feet, thanked him, and left.

All that remained to answer now were the questions of what to say, and how much Crowley would scold him afterwards.


End file.
